Davina Hill is Lecturer in Welfare Physiology at the University of Glasgow. She was Research Fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (2010-12), Quantitative Animal Scientist at Scotland's Rural College (2012-16), and a visiting scholar at the University of Zurich (2011). She holds a PhD in ecology and evolution from the University of Glasgow. Since 2013 she led the R and Statistics Workshop for the British Society of Animal Science. She is a behavioural ecologist with research interests in life history strategies, social evolution, familial conflicts, and hormonal control of behaviour. She is also interested in tropical ecology and conservation, and has carried out applied research in food security and climate change. She enjoys teaching and leads modules in animal welfare, statistics and experimental design.
Knowledge of species’ functional traits is essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, pre... more Knowledge of species’ functional traits is essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, predicting the impacts of global environmental changes, and assessing the efficiency of conservation measures. Bats are major components of mammalian diversity and occupy a variety of ecological niches and geographic distributions. However, an extensive compilation of their functional traits and ecological attributes is still missing. Here we present EuroBaTrait 1.0, the most comprehensive and up-to-date trait dataset covering 47 European bat species. The dataset includes data on 118 traits including genetic composition, physiology, morphology, acoustic signature, climatic associations, foraging habitat, roost type, diet, spatial behaviour, life history, pathogens, phenology, and distribution. We compiled the bat trait data obtained from three main sources: (i) a systematic literature and dataset search, (ii) unpublished data from European bat experts, and (iii) observations from large-scal...
Providing an inclusive, safe and varied learning environment is central to promoting engagement a... more Providing an inclusive, safe and varied learning environment is central to promoting engagement across a diverse student population. Browser-based interactive presentation programmes such as Mentimeter can be used to achieve this in a way that reaches multiple learners simultaneously through their own portable devices and grants them anonymity. We used this session to present our research on student perceptions of two features of Mentimeter: interactive multiple choice quizzes and the option for students to ask open anonymous questions during class. We found that students across two different levels, subject areas and contexts (anonymous questions and quizzes) recognised the value of Mentimeter in promoting engagement and inclusion. All students were in favour of Mentimeter being used again. Students perceived the quizzes to be fun, to consolidate learning, break up the lecture, and increase focus, while users of the anonymous open questions saw value in the potential for less vocal...
The Edible Dormouse is a non-native rodent introduced to the Chilterns, UK, in 1902. It shows ext... more The Edible Dormouse is a non-native rodent introduced to the Chilterns, UK, in 1902. It shows extreme annual variation in breeding; either having one litter per year or, in some years, failing to breed at all. Despite this slow reproductive rate compared to other rodents, its population is increasing, and has spread beyond the anticipated landscape barriers. Communal nesting is sometimes observed. This study aims to characterise the reproduction parameters over time, including from communal breeding. Based on a population of >11,000 PIT-tagged individuals, 600 litters and 4000 nestlings at our Chilterns study site over 24 years, we show the best fit of the number of new-borns is an increasing exponential. Monthly weight of nestlings also increased over the 24 years, while annual reproduction rate, litter size and nestling growth rates remained unchanged. Litter size decreased from 6.6 new-borns in August to 4.3 in October, indicating an average death rate of 37% in the first two ...
Animals can respond to climate change through changes in behaviour, morphology or life‐history tr... more Animals can respond to climate change through changes in behaviour, morphology or life‐history traits. Changes in life‐history traits do not occur independently, as they trade off or co‐evolve with other traits. Hibernation is a life‐history trait used to cope with periods of low resource availability. The energetic and survival benefits of hibernation depend on environmental conditions. Climate change‐induced changes in hibernation patterns are therefore likely to affect other life‐history traits through trade‐offs. We systematically reviewed the literature to: 1) identify studies testing for associations between climatic variables and life‐history traits in mammalian hibernators; and 2) assess variation in responses between species. Air temperature was the most commonly measured climatic variable, and phenology of hibernation emergence was the most commonly studied life‐history trait. In most studies and species, emergence date became earlier, litter size increased and the number ...
Presented in the 'Developing Digital Capabilities of Students and Staff' theme at this co... more Presented in the 'Developing Digital Capabilities of Students and Staff' theme at this conference. This workshop will introduce the new Academic Toolkit on its launch date. The Toolkit is designed to support your search for the things you need to know quickly. The Academic Toolkit will provide practical suggestions, resources, links and examples of effective strategies for Curriculum Development, Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Feedback, Continuing Professional Development and Project, Policies and Procedures. This will be an interactive session to demonstrate the new suite of resources and invite views and input to the Toolkit’s future development. The Toolkit aims to become the ‘go to’ platform for academic support and development. Andrea Charters, AQD. Davina Hill, Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies. Sandie Donnelly, Information Services. Julie Taylor, Health, Psychology and Social Studies
ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of rapid antigen testing for SARS... more ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection in low-income communities.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional community-based diagnostic accuracy study. Community health workers, who were trained and supervised by medical technicians, performed rapid antigen tests on symptomatic individuals, and up to two additional household members in their households and diagnostic results were calibrated against the gold standard RT-PCR.SettingLow-income communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh.ParticipantsBetween 19 May 2021 and 11 July 2021, 1240 nasal and saliva samples were collected from symptomatic individuals and 993 samples from additional household members (up to two from one household).ResultsThe sensitivity of rapid antigen tests was 0.68 on nasal samples (95% CI 0.62 to 0.73) and 0.41 on saliva (95% CI 0.35 to 0.46), with specificity also higher on nasal samples (0.98, 95% CI 0.97 to 0.99) than saliva (0.87, 95% CI 0.85 to 0....
Summary In many incubating birds heat transfer from parent to egg is facilitated by the brood pat... more Summary In many incubating birds heat transfer from parent to egg is facilitated by the brood patch, an area of ventral abdominal skin that becomes highly vascularised, swells and loses its down feathers around the time of laying. Only the female develops a brood patch in most passerine species, but some males incubate and maintain the eggs at similar temperatures to females without a brood patch. Here we used a novel application of infra-red thermography (IRT) to examine sex differences in parental care from a physiological perspective. Using incubating male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a species in which the male lacks a brood patch, we measured the surface temperature of the ventral plumage overlying the abdomen and a reference area that does not contact the eggs (thorax) twice per pair. In half of the pairs clutch size was experimentally enlarged between the two sets of measurements to increase incubation demand. We found that the temperature differential betw...
A key goal for livestock science is to ensure that food production meets the needs of an increasi... more A key goal for livestock science is to ensure that food production meets the needs of an increasing global population. Climate change may heighten this challenge through increases in mean temperatures and in the intensity, duration, and spatial distribution of extreme weather events, such as heat waves. Under high ambient temperatures, livestock are expected to decrease dry matter intake (DMI) to reduce their metabolic heat production. High yielding dairy cows require high DMI to support their levels of milk production, but this may increase susceptibility to heat stress. Here, we tested how feed intake and the rate of converting dry matter to milk (feed efficiency, FE) vary in response to natural fluctuations in weather conditions in a housed experimental herd of lactating Holstein Friesians in the United Kingdom. Cows belonged to 2 lines: those selected for high genetic merit for milk traits (select) and those at the UK average (control). We predicted that (1) feed intake and FE w...
Knowledge of species’ functional traits is essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, pre... more Knowledge of species’ functional traits is essential for understanding biodiversity patterns, predicting the impacts of global environmental changes, and assessing the efficiency of conservation measures. Bats are major components of mammalian diversity and occupy a variety of ecological niches and geographic distributions. However, an extensive compilation of their functional traits and ecological attributes is still missing. Here we present EuroBaTrait 1.0, the most comprehensive and up-to-date trait dataset covering 47 European bat species. The dataset includes data on 118 traits including genetic composition, physiology, morphology, acoustic signature, climatic associations, foraging habitat, roost type, diet, spatial behaviour, life history, pathogens, phenology, and distribution. We compiled the bat trait data obtained from three main sources: (i) a systematic literature and dataset search, (ii) unpublished data from European bat experts, and (iii) observations from large-scal...
Providing an inclusive, safe and varied learning environment is central to promoting engagement a... more Providing an inclusive, safe and varied learning environment is central to promoting engagement across a diverse student population. Browser-based interactive presentation programmes such as Mentimeter can be used to achieve this in a way that reaches multiple learners simultaneously through their own portable devices and grants them anonymity. We used this session to present our research on student perceptions of two features of Mentimeter: interactive multiple choice quizzes and the option for students to ask open anonymous questions during class. We found that students across two different levels, subject areas and contexts (anonymous questions and quizzes) recognised the value of Mentimeter in promoting engagement and inclusion. All students were in favour of Mentimeter being used again. Students perceived the quizzes to be fun, to consolidate learning, break up the lecture, and increase focus, while users of the anonymous open questions saw value in the potential for less vocal...
The Edible Dormouse is a non-native rodent introduced to the Chilterns, UK, in 1902. It shows ext... more The Edible Dormouse is a non-native rodent introduced to the Chilterns, UK, in 1902. It shows extreme annual variation in breeding; either having one litter per year or, in some years, failing to breed at all. Despite this slow reproductive rate compared to other rodents, its population is increasing, and has spread beyond the anticipated landscape barriers. Communal nesting is sometimes observed. This study aims to characterise the reproduction parameters over time, including from communal breeding. Based on a population of >11,000 PIT-tagged individuals, 600 litters and 4000 nestlings at our Chilterns study site over 24 years, we show the best fit of the number of new-borns is an increasing exponential. Monthly weight of nestlings also increased over the 24 years, while annual reproduction rate, litter size and nestling growth rates remained unchanged. Litter size decreased from 6.6 new-borns in August to 4.3 in October, indicating an average death rate of 37% in the first two ...
Animals can respond to climate change through changes in behaviour, morphology or life‐history tr... more Animals can respond to climate change through changes in behaviour, morphology or life‐history traits. Changes in life‐history traits do not occur independently, as they trade off or co‐evolve with other traits. Hibernation is a life‐history trait used to cope with periods of low resource availability. The energetic and survival benefits of hibernation depend on environmental conditions. Climate change‐induced changes in hibernation patterns are therefore likely to affect other life‐history traits through trade‐offs. We systematically reviewed the literature to: 1) identify studies testing for associations between climatic variables and life‐history traits in mammalian hibernators; and 2) assess variation in responses between species. Air temperature was the most commonly measured climatic variable, and phenology of hibernation emergence was the most commonly studied life‐history trait. In most studies and species, emergence date became earlier, litter size increased and the number ...
Presented in the 'Developing Digital Capabilities of Students and Staff' theme at this co... more Presented in the 'Developing Digital Capabilities of Students and Staff' theme at this conference. This workshop will introduce the new Academic Toolkit on its launch date. The Toolkit is designed to support your search for the things you need to know quickly. The Academic Toolkit will provide practical suggestions, resources, links and examples of effective strategies for Curriculum Development, Teaching and Learning, Assessment and Feedback, Continuing Professional Development and Project, Policies and Procedures. This will be an interactive session to demonstrate the new suite of resources and invite views and input to the Toolkit’s future development. The Toolkit aims to become the ‘go to’ platform for academic support and development. Andrea Charters, AQD. Davina Hill, Science, Natural Resources and Outdoor Studies. Sandie Donnelly, Information Services. Julie Taylor, Health, Psychology and Social Studies
ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of rapid antigen testing for SARS... more ObjectiveTo evaluate the diagnostic performance and feasibility of rapid antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 detection in low-income communities.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional community-based diagnostic accuracy study. Community health workers, who were trained and supervised by medical technicians, performed rapid antigen tests on symptomatic individuals, and up to two additional household members in their households and diagnostic results were calibrated against the gold standard RT-PCR.SettingLow-income communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh.ParticipantsBetween 19 May 2021 and 11 July 2021, 1240 nasal and saliva samples were collected from symptomatic individuals and 993 samples from additional household members (up to two from one household).ResultsThe sensitivity of rapid antigen tests was 0.68 on nasal samples (95% CI 0.62 to 0.73) and 0.41 on saliva (95% CI 0.35 to 0.46), with specificity also higher on nasal samples (0.98, 95% CI 0.97 to 0.99) than saliva (0.87, 95% CI 0.85 to 0....
Summary In many incubating birds heat transfer from parent to egg is facilitated by the brood pat... more Summary In many incubating birds heat transfer from parent to egg is facilitated by the brood patch, an area of ventral abdominal skin that becomes highly vascularised, swells and loses its down feathers around the time of laying. Only the female develops a brood patch in most passerine species, but some males incubate and maintain the eggs at similar temperatures to females without a brood patch. Here we used a novel application of infra-red thermography (IRT) to examine sex differences in parental care from a physiological perspective. Using incubating male and female zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), a species in which the male lacks a brood patch, we measured the surface temperature of the ventral plumage overlying the abdomen and a reference area that does not contact the eggs (thorax) twice per pair. In half of the pairs clutch size was experimentally enlarged between the two sets of measurements to increase incubation demand. We found that the temperature differential betw...
A key goal for livestock science is to ensure that food production meets the needs of an increasi... more A key goal for livestock science is to ensure that food production meets the needs of an increasing global population. Climate change may heighten this challenge through increases in mean temperatures and in the intensity, duration, and spatial distribution of extreme weather events, such as heat waves. Under high ambient temperatures, livestock are expected to decrease dry matter intake (DMI) to reduce their metabolic heat production. High yielding dairy cows require high DMI to support their levels of milk production, but this may increase susceptibility to heat stress. Here, we tested how feed intake and the rate of converting dry matter to milk (feed efficiency, FE) vary in response to natural fluctuations in weather conditions in a housed experimental herd of lactating Holstein Friesians in the United Kingdom. Cows belonged to 2 lines: those selected for high genetic merit for milk traits (select) and those at the UK average (control). We predicted that (1) feed intake and FE w...
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Papers by Davina L Hill